Tale of a Nightmare
by greenk
Summary: This is a series of nightmares form all of our favorite Avatar characters. I am now continuing on to the second nightmare. You'll have to read to figure out who it is about. No major pairings, but some hints of Kataang, Tokka, and Maiko
1. Night at the Circus

** Dear Reader, this is my first fanfic written on here, so please criticize me...in a nice way. Don't be afraid to be harsh, though.**

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She did not remember waking up, but it all felt so real. It all felt so familiar, like a word on the tongue that hasn't been spoken or a fantasy in the mind that hasn't been relished.

She pulled on her colorful uniform and placed the decorative headpiece upon her crown. Everything was set. She was ready to begin.

Walking out of the dressing room, the girl greeted the leader of the arena. The ringmaster tipped his tall, chimney-shaped hat and stepped aside to let her reach her place, her place to begin.

There was something strange about the arena this time. Was it the swirling colors or the piercing lights that seemed to shine brighter as the time passed and it came closer to her moment? Her moment to shine. She shrugged off the discomfort and began to climb the steep ladder to her mount.

Looking out into the audience all she could see was seven of the same face staring out at her. _No. This cannot be. They cannot be…_

Now she was facing the narrow cord that she had walked down so many times before. There was a whisper, a sigh, a cackle. _Sisters._

She reeled back and flipped around with some uncertainty to face her face, the face that they all shared.

"Why are you here?" demanded the young woman.

All seven of the faces looked back at the same time all of the laughed the same high-pitched laugh, her high pitched laugh.

The faces faded away, and did another face appear that was even more ghastly to her than the other seven faces.

"_Mother_?" she whimpered.

"Ry Lee, darling." the all too familiar face smirked.

"Mother my name is.."

"Be quiet young one!" the woman snapped, "All of you are the same!"

"No!" the girl cried, "I am not the same! I am not the same!"

"So you can balance? Maybe you can do a few tricks. You are not indifferent. You will never be _special_," her elder sneered reaching forward and grabbing the young woman by the shoulders, "_You are exactly the same_."

The woman thrust her back and she tipped off the podium. Her net was gone. What remained was a boiling pit of fire.

She braced herself for the fall. Sinking, dipping, dying.

"_You are all the same."_

Darkness.

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**Alright, tell me what you thought! Please.**

**And tell me who you want the next nightmare to be about. I might not follow through with your idea if I have a calling, but I'll see what I can do. D**


	2. Betrayals and Fire

**Dearest Readers, **

**From the lack of posts I have not had any suggestion of what character to continue with, so I picked one myself. I bet you can guess who it is.**

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The expressionless teen bit her nails and sighed. She didn't remember when she had showed up in Zuko's bedchamber or why, but she just sat on his bed watching and waiting.

Then she saw it again. The forsaken note. _How did that get...back here? I threw that thing out weeks ago…_

It was a piece of parchment paper rolled up and tied with a hair tie of his very own. The one she had given him to keep all that shaggy raven-black hair out of his anguished face.

She had spent nights reading that note over and over again, by the light of the fireplace. Each time she read it, a wave of emotion flew over her that she tried with all her might to wave away…in vain.

On the last night that she had read it, after scoffing, the paper was crumpled up into a ball and thrown into the ravenous flames. Her motionless face wrinkled in pain and for the first time in her life, she let a sorrowful sob escape her lips.

Of course that was ages ago, now. So what was this note?

She hesitated to release the band on the crinkled paper. When curiosity got the best of her, the paper unfolded. There was no writing there.

"What..?" the young woman mumbled, before the parchment grew immensely and wrapped around her middle, squeezing the life out of her.

She heard his voice.

"Hello?" she stuttered out for his help.

_I'm leaving you._

"No! You can't go! I'm all alone!"

_I don't need you. I'm with the avatar now. Why should I care?_

"I loved you!" screamed the girl, gasping for breath.

Then she saw his face. The scar on his face was a smoldering and steam was flowing from his mouth. His hands reached out and took her. Like a piece of paper, he crumpled her up into a small sphere.

She gasped. There was no air left to breath.

The young man breathed in, and then, like a dragon, exhaled a flame that consumed her and the paper.

She felt the burning. She could taste the smoke. The girl was tossed into the fireplace like she had tossed his note more that a fortnight ago. All she could see was his face, looking down upon her with scorn.

Betrayal, abandonment, misery.

The fire entered her soul as she uttered her final word and gave into the ghastly pain.

"Zuko."

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**In case you did not realize, this story was about Mai. It was indeed a nightmare, if in case you….might have thought otherwise……**

**Please review! The more you do, the faster the chappie will come! Just joking. But it will make me happier!**


	3. A Meeting with Death

**Dear Reader,**

**As hoped, I managed to finish the third chapter of the series this night. I hope you find it enjoyable.**

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His pulse was escalating. There was something horribly odd about this place. The room's walls pulsated with color and life. The floor seemed to sway as he walked.

That's when he realized where he was.

_The fire nation underground base?_

The flag with the insignia pierced his mind. It was a dreadful reminder of the past and a disturbing forewarning of the future.

He only wanted to be a warrior, find love, and maybe settle down. So far, none of that was working out.

His father was trapped in the fire nation prison. Two of the loves of his life were gone, perhaps forever and one still didn't seem to respond to his praises and smitten concerns.

And he still didn't know why he was here.

The place seemed only as suspicious as it had the day of the failed invasion.

He was half expecting Azula to pop out from behind one of the corners to stretch him out in her palm again and watch him squirm.

Instead, what slunk out from behind a corner was none other than…Yue's father.

"Sir?"

"_You stole my baby? She was me only child and you_ _took her away from me."_

"I didn't mean to. It…it was an accident!"

"_You couldn't protect her! You couldn't protect my baby! And now you will pay!"_

Suddenly, the water tribe leader's teeth grew longer and the ends turned sharp and narrow.

He sprung.

The boy leapt up and hesitantly punched the man in the face.

The body flew and hit against the wall and slumped over dead. As the young man crept over to see the outcome, he wailed as he saw the body dripping with blood. It was not that of the water tribe leader.

"Suki."

The young warrior moaned out in sadness.

His mourning did not last long, for when he turned around he found himself face to face with the woman responsible for his deceased love's imprisonment.

"Azula," gritted the water tribe boy through his teeth.

She laughed her all too familiar cackle and disappeared beyond another corner.

He reached to his side and pulled out his sword.

Taking one deep breath, he rampaged around the corner, sword drawn, only to find himself in…the swamp?

The ground beneath him gave way and he grabbed onto a vine to hold himself up.

Instantly the vine withered up and died. He grabbed onto another and it did the same.

The boy jumped onto a log and floated down the river some, until seeing the familiar campsite of the avatar and his new found family.

Then he saw her. Her porcelain skin shone anew and her eyes, though they remained blank, seemed to sparkle.

"Toph!" he exclaimed, leaping off the log, "Am I glad to see you!"

Suddenly, he appeared to be waste deep in a pit of quicksand.

The pretty, young earthbender remained silent and walked over to him with a blank face.

"Help me! I'm sinking!"

He grasped for her hand, but as soon as they touched, the young lady's body turned to ash and sifted away with the breeze.

Tears rolled down his face as he became almost completely submerged in the sand.

The voice of his father sounded out into the night.

"_I'm very disappointed in you, son."_

Silence.

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**Hopefully, you did not find the "Everything living that Sokka touches, dies" thing too repetitive. **

**Anyways, please review!**


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